Three players to watch out for on opening night of Euro 2016

Euro 2016 gets underway tonight when France take on Romania at the Stade de France.

A cameraman adjusts his camera at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis before the start of the UEFA 2016 European Championship in Paris, France

For those that have been desperate for some competitive football at a reasonable hour since Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty won the European Cup for Real Madrid in Milan, then you will be glad that Euro 2016 gets underway tonight.

Hosts France take on Romania at the Stade de France where one or two players will be familiar to regular viewers of the Premier League and top European football.

One or two have been linked with moves to the Premier League while others have plied their trade on these shores before, so here’s a look at a few players who might catch the eye in tonight’s opening game.

Antoine Griezmann

France Training - EURO2016

Griezmann has been the star man in the Atletico Madrid team for a couple of seasons now and is likely to be a huge threat for the host nation in the final third of these Championships. Both Manchester United and Chelsea have been linked with a move for the exciting 25-year-old, though L'Equipe have reported that a new deal has been agreed for him to stay at Atletico Madrid - which would scupper any hopes of him heading to the Premier League this summer.

Still, this is a player that is keen to become a European champion in some form after missing out on the Champions League as he was part of the Atletico Madrid side that lost on penalties to Real Madrid at the San Siro just a few weeks ago - and on the back of a season where he's found the net 32 times for his club, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him on the scoresheet this evening.

It seems that every summer the Juventus midfielder is linked with a big money move away from the Serie A Champions - usually to someone with an absolute war chest of cash at their disposal. This summer is no different with the Daily Mirror among those linking him with a £78 million move to Manchester United - having previously attracted interest from Chelsea and Manchester City.

Still, Pogba will be one of the most exciting players on display at this tournament, and is one of the candidates to be named as its stand-out player when it concludes. If Pogba plays well then France are going to be a real handful for anybody that faces them.

It's safe to say that things didn't go too well for him from the summer of 2013 at Tottenham - who he joined for £8.5 million at the time. However, expect him to line up at the heart of the Romania defence tonight after experiencing something of a renaissance during his time in Italy with Napoli. Chiriches featured in every minute of Romania's qualifying campaign and will be integral to Romania's chances of getting a positive result against a side that is blessed with attacking talent and potency.

Ian Bolland

A journalism graduate of Liverpool John Moores University. During his time at university, Ian spent time on work experience at local newspapers in Liverpool, Bolton and Wigan, and prior to that he did work for The Observer's 'fans verdict'. Ian also has interests in news, current affairs and business but mostly sport, including football, rugby league, cricket, golf and Formula 1, amongst others.